Tang Dynasty Xie Lu Lang

Chapter 135 The young man is dignified but lacks romantic understanding.

Ah Ying waited in Huixunfang until evening but Ah Lang didn't come. She left just before the street drum was about to sound and hurriedly went to the mansion in Kangsufang.

When she returned to the mansion, she was told that Ah Lang had already returned, so she hurriedly went to Jicui Tower. When she arrived at the room, she saw Ah Lang sitting at his desk, writing with a pen.

Zhang Dai glanced at Aying, then his gaze swept over the inkstone beside the table, gesturing for her to come and serve him ink, while he himself focused on writing his miscellaneous essays.

Although he often wandered around outside, he did not slack off in his exam preparation. Every day he would write a few essay questions for his grandfather to review. Occasionally, when scholars came to tutor him, he would stay at home and listen to their lessons.

Of course, staying out last night was an exception, so when he came back in the afternoon, he first caught up on the homework he had missed yesterday, and didn't even have time to eat dinner.

"Ah..."

When Ah Ying saw that Ah Lang had finally put down his pen, she was about to speak when Zhang Dai quickly got up from his desk, went to the bookshelf to select some books, and then returned to copy model texts.

He worked so diligently that he didn't stop to rest until the lamps were lit.

Aying wasn't in a good mood today. She didn't eat much for breakfast or lunch, and after returning home, she stood by her desk for more than an hour, until her stomach started rumbling.

Seeing that Ah Lang was still frowning as he copied the model text, but hadn't even noticed that he had copied the wrong line, she finally couldn't help but whisper, "Aren't you hungry, Ah Lang?"

Zhang Dai shook his head blankly. The girl fell silent upon seeing this, and after a while, she whispered, "I'm hungry. If you're really too shy to talk to me, could you let me have dinner first before serving Mo?"

"Ashamed to speak? What am I ashamed of!"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Dai immediately glared, put down his pen, and said angrily, "Wang Shouzhen is a dissolute scoundrel who forced me to stay at his house as a guest, coerced me into drinking, and indulged my lustful desires. I fell into his trap, and this morning two courtesans tearfully begged to come with me. If I hadn't said all this, you wouldn't have thought I was truly lustful and depraved, would you?"

"My lord isn't lustful; I'm still a virgin! I just never expected him to be so fierce when he gets excited. I'm still grateful for his past tenderness; I wouldn't laugh at or complain about him!"

Seeing Ah Lang's glaring and defiant expression, the girl felt a lump in her throat. After a moment, she suddenly leaned down and kissed Zhang Dai's earlobe, rubbing her teeth and tongue together before whispering, "I'm still indignant. My mother instructed me to be careful, lest Ah Lang's blood be depleted, and not to force him. Instead, I let Ah Lang have the leisure to pick flowers elsewhere..."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Dai's heart warmed instantly. He strode out from behind his desk, closed the doors and windows, and looked back. He saw Aying leaning over the desk, her pink cheeks as beautiful as peach blossoms, her fingers gently pinching the lampshade to extinguish the candle flame.

He followed the image in his mind and walked forward, but his leg bumped into a horizontal table with a thud, and he couldn't help but groan in pain.

"Where did Ah Lang bump into?"

From the darkness came Ah Ying's anxious voice. Zhang Dai endured the pain and continued to grope forward, following the sound, until a fragrant breeze wafted towards him.

The next morning, Zhang Dai woke up hungry before dawn. He heard footsteps outside and peeked out of the tent. He saw Aying carrying a food box coming from outside. Only then did he get dressed and get out of bed.

"Ah Lang, you're up so early?"

As soon as Aying took the food out of the food box and set it out, she turned around and saw Zhang Dai coming out, and said with some surprise.

So what if you get up early!
Just as Zhang Dai was about to speak, he realized that the girl had gotten up even earlier than him, so there was nothing to brag about. He then sat down at the table to eat, but when he got up after finishing his meal, he felt a slight soreness in his lower back.

Why aren't you wearing the jewelry from last night? Didn't you say you liked it?

Seeing that Ah Ying was still dressed simply without any hairpins or ornaments, he asked her again.

“Now that the whole family’s expenses have been reduced, whatever I wear is for Ah Lang to enjoy. Why should I go outside to show off and cause resentment among Ah Lang’s family!”

Ah Ying waited until Ah Lang finished eating before sitting down to eat herself. Upon hearing this, she sighed and said, "Madam is in charge of the household and is very stingy with resources. I heard that this winter, firewood and charcoal for each household will be reduced, forcing everyone to share food in the communal kitchen. The old lady has even used her own money to cover the food expenses in the communal kitchen. If I had gone a little later this morning, I wouldn't have been able to get all this food back!"

Zhang Dai was delighted to hear this. Previously, Zheng had asked him and his grandfather for some gifts to supplement the family income, but to no avail. Now it seemed that the family's financial situation was getting worse.

"Go back to your villa later and get a hundred strings of cash to put in the communal kitchen. In autumn and winter, cattle and horses need extra feed to gain weight. Don't the clansmen also need to fatten up to keep warm?"

Zhang Dai got up, poured himself another bowl of buttermilk, sipped it, and sat back down next to Aying. Looking down and comparing them, he realized that although the girl was shorter than him, her legs were longer. No wonder his waist was still a little sore from being held so tightly last night.

Following his gaze, Ah Ying blushed instantly, then waved her hands repeatedly, saying, "No, no! Ah Lang never snores when he sleeps, but last night he was snoring quite loudly..."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Dai blushed and got up to leave, saying as he went, "Today I still need to pay my respects to Consort Hui and visit others. There is no time to return. You can make your own arrangements after the meal."

He went to pay his respects to his grandmother and retrieve the homework his grandfather had assigned him before going to court. Just then, Madam Zheng came to pay her respects, so he took the opportunity to leave. October in Luoyang was getting colder and colder. After leaving home, Zhang Dai went to the inn in Wenluofang first. Zhang Yi, Wei Lin and others were assigned to coordinate affairs there. Because they had to raise and purchase a large amount of supplies and transport them out in a short period of time, the work was by no means easy, and the group worked day and night.

"Reporting to Your Excellency, the 30,000 shi of grain has already departed and will be stored in Zhengzhou upon arrival. Since civilian ships are prohibited from entering the canal there, it will need to be transported by land. Zhengzhou can send porters to assist with the transport, and the settlement can be made next spring..."

Upon Zhang Dai's arrival, Zhang Yi hurriedly stepped forward to report on the progress of the work. They needed 100,000 strings of cash to purchase various materials, but for the people in the disaster area, the most urgent need was naturally for food. Only after they were fed could they discuss other plans, so food was the priority to be transported out.

Hearing that Zhengzhou could provide such personnel assistance, Zhang Dai nodded in satisfaction.

When his father was at home, he couldn't stand him at all. Now that he had been sent to a remote area, he could actually make use of him. This made Zhang Dai feel that it was necessary to keep his father in the local area for a long time and try not to let him return to the capital.

Li Guang stepped forward and said, “I have already been ordered to go ahead and will inform the prefectures and counties along the way to cooperate. Each prefecture and county will gather the women and children under its jurisdiction. Once the grain, looms and other supplies are transported in, the weaving workshop can be built! Tomorrow, I will send two thousand looms ahead to set up the Bianzhou weaving workshop.”

Bianzhou was located at the core of the North-South Grand Canal. Bianzhou City, which later became Kaifeng City, was a place where people from the North and South gathered. Therefore, the Bianzhou weaving workshops were to be built first, both to serve as a demonstration and to facilitate the purchase of raw materials and the sale of silk products nearby, serving as a relay station for further eastward expansion.

"Thank you all for your hard work. This autumn, our priority is disaster relief. We need to get the weaving workshop set up first so that we can handle production matters more easily next year."

Zhang Dai then said to Li Guang, "Since this is disaster relief, we should not be stingy with resources. You should stay in the prefecture for now. After the provincial examination next spring, I will organize another group of people to go east to help!"

Wenluofang is responsible for procuring supplies and shipping them out in batches. These supplies will also need to be used in a coordinated manner after they enter the state. Therefore, Zhang Yi and others will also be heading east in a few days.

At present, Zhang Dai's disaster relief team is mainly composed of his clansmen and disciples. Zhang Dai stays in Luoyang to prepare for the provincial examination, and at the same time, he plans to take advantage of the gathering of candidates from various prefectures and students of the Imperial Academy in Luoyang before and after the provincial examination to select some capable people to help with the work. He will then carry out a more detailed personnel structure after the provincial examination next year.

Yuwen Rong promised him a position as an agricultural advisor, but after some consideration, Zhang Dai still felt it inappropriate to recommend someone from his Zhang clan. On one hand, while he didn't hold a grudge against Yuwen Rong, it didn't mean the other members of the Zhang clan would be so forgiving and without any resentment towards him.

On the other hand, Yuwen Rong is by no means a naive and innocent person. If any oversights or mistakes occur during the disaster relief process, it is possible that he would directly blame the agricultural judge recommended by Zhang Dai.

Another point is that although Consort Wu Hui said that he should have full authority to handle the matter, it does not mean that he can act entirely on his own. There still needs to be communication and reporting from time to time. Therefore, it is best to let Consort Wu Hui choose this agricultural advisor.

Yuwen Rong recruited Consort Wu Hui's people as his advisors and recommended them as judges to promote agriculture. It's hard to say for sure what will happen at some point in the future.

Many people and things begin to connect in small, inconspicuous places. If they start by swearing blood oaths and vows, it would be a miracle if they weren't betrayed!

Zhang Dai didn't expect to be able to directly pull Yuwen Rong onto Consort Wu Hui's side, but many political connections don't require solid evidence; sometimes, rumors and clues are more likely to spark speculation.

After leaving the Wenluofang Inn, Zhang Dai first instructed Ding Qing to deliver his name card to Gao Chengxin's residence in the inn and inform his family that he planned to visit them in the afternoon. Meanwhile, Zhang Dai himself took the fish-shaped tally and went straight to the palace to request an audience with Consort Wu Hui.

When Zhang Dai saw his aunt again upon entering the palace, he found her still radiant and full of energy. He couldn't help but sigh that although from the perspective of later generations, Consort Wu Hui was deeply controlled by Emperor Xuanzong of Tang, from the perspective of the person involved, she was undoubtedly of great emotional value.

Consort Wu Hui truly believed that if she made a little more effort and removed some personnel obstacles, she could really become Empress!
After listening to Zhang Dai's report that the disaster relief plan was progressing smoothly, Consort Wu Hui said with satisfaction and relief, "Sixth Prince is truly capable. I have many people in my palace, but none as outstanding as you!"

"I only managed to accomplish a few small things because I was favored and indulged by my elders."

At this point, Zhang Dai mentioned Yuwen Rong's promise again, and said, "Although the rank of the Agricultural Encouragement Judge is low, the responsibilities are heavy, and only a person with talent and ability can hold this position. I dare not recommend him lightly, so I can only ask my aunt for help."

Upon hearing this, Consort Wu frowned and said, "I have lived in the deep palace for a long time, where am I supposed to find talented people to take up positions? You should try to find someone outside first. If you really can't find anyone, you can go to my family to ask your uncle for advice. However, they are cautious and have little experience in human affairs. I'm afraid their ability to recognize talent is not as good as yours, Sixth Prince!"

Hearing Consort Wu Hui complain about her brother, Zhang Dai chuckled inwardly. He skipped over that part and went on to talk about the division of the flying money.

"General Gao always appears upright while serving in the palace, but who would have thought that he secretly suffers from an illness that troubles his son? This is truly amusing!"

Consort Wu Hui laughed when she heard this. Although she was very polite to Gao Lishi and even called him "brother" affectionately, it did not mean that the two had a close relationship.

She was very happy to be able to manipulate Gao Lishi on this matter, so she said with a smile, "Even if I don't covet the profits from this flying money, it is still a filial gesture from my son."

Now that the matter has fallen to me, General Gao wants to gain more, but I can't rely solely on my sons to relay the message. How can I know if he truly needs it or not if he doesn't come to see me?

At this point, she looked at Zhang Dai and said with a smile, "Young man, you really bring us many surprises! Sixth Brother, how do you want your aunt to reward you? You are young and full of life, and you are appreciating young women. Among the maids in my palace, are there any who are beautiful enough to please you? I will give them to you today!"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Dai felt a tightness in his lower back and immediately shook his head repeatedly.

Seeing his embarrassed appearance, Consort Wu Hui burst into laughter again: "How can such a dignified young man understand romance?"

(End of this chapter)